Cardiac cavernous hemangioma

Eur J Echocardiography (2007) 8, 487e506
CASE REPORTS
Cardiac cavernous hemangioma
Maryam Esmaeilzadeh, Rozita Jalalian, Majid Maleki *, Nader Givtaj,
Kambiz Mozaffari, Mozhgan Parsaee
Department of Echocardiography, Shahid Rajaei Cardiovascular Medical Center, Tehran, Iran
KEYWORDS
Cardiac neoplasm;
Cavernous
hemangioma;
Interatrial septum
Abstract Among primary cardiac tumors, hemangiomas are relatively rare with
a reported incidence of 2.8%. To date, less than 100 cases are reported in literature. We present a 40-year-old woman with atypical chest discomfort of 1 month
duration, previous history of glomus tumor of hand and a large cavernous hemangioma of right atrium.
ª 2006 The European Society of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights
reserved.
Introduction
Primary hemangioma of the heart was first described in 1893. McAllister reviewed 533 primary
tumors and cysts of the heart and pericardium of
which 15 (2.8%) were hemangiomas.1 It is a rare
benign primary cardiac tumor, with less than 100
cases described in current cardiac literature.2
The origin of hemangiomas is uncertain; they are
thought to be either true neoplasm or hamartomas. Hemangiomas are common benign congenital
vascular lesions. They most often occur in the skin,
but are occasionally found in internal organs.
Case report
A 40-year-old woman presented with atypical
chest discomfort of 1 month duration. There was
no history of cough, cyanosis or syncope. She had
a previous hand surgery 2 years ago with a diagnosis
* Corresponding author. Tel.: þ98 2123922523.
E-mail address: [email protected] (M. Maleki).
of glomus tumor. General physical examination,
electrocardiography and chest X-ray were unremarkable. Laboratory tests including hematology,
immunology, biochemistry, urine analysis and
coagulation tests were normal except for mild
degree of anemia of iron deficiency type.
Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography revealed a large (3.5 3.2 cm) fixed well defined
encapsulated homogenous echodense mass placed
within the inferior portion of interatrial septum and
deformed the interatrial septum as it protruded into
the left atrium (Fig. 1). The other chambers were
spare and there was no pericardial effusion.
The patient was taken to the operating room for
elective excision of the cardiac mass, which was
believed to be an atrial lipoma or hamartomas. The
right atrium was opened and a 3.5 3.5 cm polypoid
mass was found which was severely adherent to interatrial septum. The mass was excised with a rim
of septum and the defect was then repaired with
a patch of pericardium. The postoperative course
was uneventful and the patient was discharged
home on the 7th postoperative day.
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Received 21 May 2006; received in revised form 3 July 2006; accepted 15 July 2006
Available online 28 August 2006
488
M. Esmaeilzadeh et al.
Figure 1 Transthoracic subcostal (left) and transesophageal bicaval (right) views. There is a large encapsulated
homogenous mass in interatrial septum bulging into left atrium.
Discussion
Cardiac hemangiomas are composed of a benign
proliferation of endothelial cells that are histologically identical to hemangiomas elsewhere in the
body. This tumor can be localized in any part of
the heart and pericardium. In a previous review of
56 cases of cardiac hemangiomas, 36% were found
in the right ventricle, 34% in the left ventricle, 23%
in the right atrium, and the rest on the interatrial
septum and in the left atrium.3 Histologic patterns
that have been described include capillary hemangiomas, cavernous hemangiomas, hemangioendotheliomas, and intramuscular hemangiomas.4
Hemangiomas can present in any age group with
a mild predominance in females. The symptomatology
depends on the anatomic location and extension of
the tumor. Though most cardiac hemangiomas are
discovered incidentally, they may cause dyspnea,
palpitation, atypical chest pain and arrhythmia.
Echocardiography is usually the initial imaging
modality and has an 81% accuracy rate in detecting
cardiac tumors, while CT scans and MRI have had
Figure 2 (Left) Gross specimen of tumor. Note gray capsule and hemorrhagic appearance. (Right) Microscopic view
of tumor demonstrating proliferation of enlarged vessels filled with blood, and myxoid background, diagnostic of
cavernous hemangioma.
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The specimen consisted of a round piece of
tissue measuring 3.5 cm in diameter and was partially covered by a thin capsule. Histopathologic
examination of the resected mass demonstrated
a highly vascular tumor with infiltration of chronic
inflammatory elements and multiple tortuous vascular channels filled with RBCs. There were many
large cystic spaces lined with endothelial cells,
compatible with cavernous hemangioma (Fig. 2),
so abdominal CT scan was done which revealed
liver hemangioma.
Cardiac cavernous hemangioma
Conclusion
Echocardiography is an accurate, noninvasive, and
frequently available imaging modality in detecting
cardiac tumors. Coronary angiography, CT or MRI is
recommended in selected patients with symptomatic coronary artery disease or in case of unsatisfied echocardiography.
References
1. McAllister H. Tumors of the heart and pericardium. In:
Silver MD, editor. Cardiovascular pathology. New York:
Churchill Livingstone; 1983. p. 909e43.
2. Perk G, Yim J, Varkey M, Colvin SB, Tunick PA, Kronzon I. Cardiac cavernous hemangioma. J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2005;
18:979 [e3e4].
3. Kojima S, Sumiyoshi M, Suwa S, Tamura H, Sasaki A, Kojima T,
et al. Cardiac hemangioma: a report of two cases and review
of the literature. Heart Vessels 2003;18:153e6.
4. McAllister HA, Fenoglio Jr JJ. In: Firminger HI, editor. Tumors
of the cardiovascular system. 2nd series, Atlas of tumor pathology, Fascicle 15. Washington DC: Armed Forces Institute
of Pathology; 1978. p. 1e3 [46e51].
5. Oshima H, Hara M, Kono T, Shibamoto Y, Mishima A, Akita S.
Cardiac hemangioma of the left atrial appendage: CT and MR
findings. J Thorac Imaging 2003;18:204e6.
1525-2167/$32 ª 2006 The European Society of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.euje.2006.07.004
Papillary fibroelastoma of the aortic valve: A rare
cause of stroke
Jeroen Walpot a,*, W. Hans Pasteuning a, Jan Koeman b, Peter Volker b
a
b
Department of Cardiology, Ziekenhuis Walcheren, Vlissingen, The Netherlands
Department of Neurology, Ziekenhuis Walcheren, Vlissingen, The Netherlands
Received 9 June 2006; received in revised form 13 July 2006; accepted 26 July 2006
Available online 7 September 2006
KEYWORDS
Papillary fibroelastoma;
Cardiac tumor;
Stroke;
Abstract We report a case of a 59-year-old woman with recurrent cerebrovascular
insults caused by a papillary fibroelastoma of the aortic valve. Primary cardiac
tumors are rare. Papillary fibroelastoma (PFE) is the most common valvular tumor
and the second cardiac benign tumor after myxoma. The clinical presentation of
* Corresponding author. Department of Cardiology, Ziekenhuis Walcheren, Koudekerkseweg 88, Postbus 3200, 4380 DD Vlissingen,
The Netherlands. Tel.: þ31 118 425000; fax: þ31 118 425331.
E-mail address: [email protected] (J. Walpot).
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a virtually flawless accuracy rate in exposing this
condition. Recently CT and MR have been used in
preoperative diagnosis and to evaluate extra cardiac
extension and myocardial involvement,5 however we
only recommend these techniques in selected
patients with unsatisfied echocardiography.
Cardiac catheterization studies (particularly ventricular angiograms) can help to diagnose a cardiac
tumor in 40% of cases by revealing an intracavitary
filling defect. Coronary arteriography often helps to
establish the diagnosis; the classic finding is a vascular blush. It is recommended in older patients with
suspected coronary artery disease and when a vascular tumor was diagnosed preoperatively.
Preoperative diagnosis of a cardiac hemangioma, however, occurs in a minority of cases. In our
case, a cardiac tumor was diagnosed, but the
nature of the tumor was unknown. The natural
history of cardiac hemangiomas is variable and is
the reason why all resectable lesions must be
surgically removed. Surgical excision is the mainstay of treatment because of the benign nature of
the tumor. The long-term prognosis is favorable
after adequate surgical resection. Unresectable
tumors have a poor prognosis and may lead to
sudden death due to arrhythmias.
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